Blue Plaque Hoo-Ha
Many were up in arms last week when English Heritage announced that, apart from existing commitments, it would be suspending its blue plaque activities. It was reluctantly taking this step, we learned, because of the severe cut in its grant from Westminster. It had “stood down” its advisory team, comprising Stephen Fry, Andrew Motion and Bonnie Greer (yes, I wondered too!). Much gnashing and wailing of teeth ensued in the press (kicked off by the Guardian, who got its sums completely wrong. Bless), and also on Twitter and Facebook. You’d have thought that all the EH blue plaques were to be torn off the very walls they adorned.
I don’t think we should be overly concerned.
First, it could be argued that we have too many plaques on our streetscape already. If it pleases your worship, I offer you this:
Further comment superfluous. But in case you’re in thrall to the miracles of Homeopathy, it’s very near South Kensington tube station.
Second, English Heritage don’t have a monopoly on memorial plaques. Just some of the organisations which have put up plaques over the years include London County Council, Greater London Council, Dead Comics Society, City of Westminster, Mayor of London, Hayes Literary Society, The Corporation of the City of London, National Art Collections Fund, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charities Foundation, London Borough of Southwark, John and Ruth Howard Charitable Trust. And on and on. What’s more, attractive as the EH plaques are, some of the others are equally and indeed more so. And in a variety of shapes, colours, sizes. We need variety, and London does higgledy-piggledy rather well.
I’m particularly fond of this world-weary item, provenance apparently unknown.
Third, if we have to have new plaques, it doesn’t have to be English Heritage who takes care of matters. Its ugly sister, the National Trust, is apparently willing to step into the breach. Furthermore, subject to listing, ownership and possibly by-laws I’m not aware of, you can do your own plaques if you have a mind to. Just last summer, the Historic Kilburn Plaque Scheme, led by Ed Fordham (LH Member) put up a plaque to George Orwell.
Finally, I’d like to point out that I’m a fan of English Heritage, in fact I’m a very recent joiner. They run their properties well and have delightful staff. I can see that George Osborne’s Big Cut will give them a nasty headache. But we don’t really need new English Heritage blue plaques particularly urgently one way or another in my view; I suspect they have used this suspension as much as a publicity stunt as anything, and rather successfully, so it would seem. We needn’t get our knickers in a twist.
Normally, I would steer well clear of making the cliché comment “I agree entirely”, but in this case, well, I do agree entirely!
As we ramble about London and other cities, exploring and photographing items of interest, we come across plaques of many different shapes, sizes and colours, affixed by many different organizations. As you rightly say, English Heritage is far from possessing a monopoly in this field.
There are many plaques originally put in position by organizations that no longer exist, such as the GLC or boroughs lost in boundary changes. Others were placed by persons or agencies unknown. Some are spoofs or memorials to pets or individuals sorely missed by family and friends but unknown outside that circle. Some boroughs are very active in putting up plaques and there are towns where the local historical society may contribute as well.
I sometimes wonder how useful or important some plaques are, such as the one in Bread Street that tells us that Milton was born in a house “near here”. The house is long gone and Milton would not recognize either the street or any of the buildings. In Miltonian terms, it is an alien landscape. Similarly with those informing us that some minor figure lived in a house for a couple of years.
The current economic crisis has had many dire effects. I hear that another familiar high street name, HMV, is going into administration, with the inevitable loss of jobs. Compared with all this, the suspension of English Heritage’s blue plaque activities is a minor upset. It will no doubt resume in happier times and no one’s living has been put in jeopardy by it.
English Heritage does immensely valuable work but we must accept that it is going to be hit by funding shortages like every other organization. If all it loses is the blue plaques, then we have reason to be grateful rather than critical.
Thanks, ST, and Happy New Year. I wish your comment were the main piece – much more succinct and well-written!
Good article, and whilst I agree wholeheartedly with calling The National Trust “The Ugly Sister” of English Heritage (I LOL’d heartily), I think there is a much more important issue hidden behind the Blue Plaques.
English Heritage is being decimated by cuts – and even as someone who used to work in museums, I am the first to admit that it isn’t as important as, say, cuts to the NHS. However, heritage is made a funding scapegoat constantly. English Heritage has been disproportionately hit by cuts in this recession – the redundancies they have made have been huge, including their ENTIRE outreach department. Poof! Gone.
I would not be at all surprised if English Heritage started the hoo-ha about the Blue Plaques themselves, as a survival tactic. Good plan, if so. They operate on a shoestring budget as it is. With more cuts being threatened, they are absolutely right to kick and scream about something publicly visible, if only to try and protect themselves. Our Ancient Monuments and sites of historical importance are the lifeblood of our tourism economy, especially in London, and they aren’t going anywhere – they need to be looked after by someone, and heaven forbid the National Trust should take over everything – Local Councils have been hitting their museums and historic sites even harder on a local scale. It’s worth noting as well that DCMS and Heritage Lottery Money among others were heavily diverted away from the Arts for the Olympics, so it has been a rough time.
Heritage is what will sustain the tourist bump now that the Olympic Park has repaired to a sleepier state, and for years to come. English Heritage and the work they do is good value for money, and was before these cuts started. I think this may be a cry for help before the good job becomes an impossible one.
I agree that EH used blue plaques as a way of drawing attention to their plight. All I’m arguing here is that if one stops and thinks about it, it’s quite a weak card. EH is worthy of our support and the best way to do this (aside from lobbying, perhaps) is to take up membership. While most of us are prepared to take an unavoidable haircut at times like this (obviously not bankers, tube drivers, MPs &c), the EH cut is savage and at what cost nobody can calculate, but I feel a false economy at work.
The last sentence is perhaps the most telling, I have seen a similar point made elsewhere that blue plaques is probably the lowest cost yet highest profile aspect of EH’s activities and it did generate acres of coverage of the fact their budget was being cut (with the attendant and teeth-grating plllaaaaaarrrrrques pronunciation much in evidence!). I also saw a figure of a cost of £965 per plaque quoted, if there’s any truth in that maybe it’s their procurement process that needs looking at!
I’ve heard the circa £1,000 cost of mounting a blue plaque bandied about. Actually, when one takes into account the design, manufacture process and then the mounting and doing it in such a way that must last for many years, I deem it not excessively expensive.
I will take the other tack in this debate. Cutting funds to organisations that bring in tourists, students and amateur historians is a counter-productive insanity. When referring to important individual sites, I always inform the students about the presence of a blue plaque and what is written on it.
The Hayes Literary Society and London City Council’s plaques are perfectly acceptable alternatives, of course. But I am still annoyed.
Great post and I agree with your perspective.
Coming to this rather late, but think it’s worth pointing out that four of the ‘non-EH’ plaques you picture were put up by the London County Council, and therefore form part of the London-wide scheme now run by English Heritage.
It seems as if the scheme is set to continue in some way shape or form, anyway.